2022 – Page 12 – Undergraduate Research Symposium Abstracts

Increasing the Antiaromaticity of s-Indacene by Fusion of Naphthofuran

Presenter: Garret Laurie – Chemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Gabrielle Warren

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Scientific literature has seen a dramatic increase in interesting antiaromatic structures which function as a key component within organic electronics. These molecules are novel for their inherently smaller HOMO-LUMO gap but often require protection with bulky groups or aromatic ring fusion, thereby reducing the antiaromaticity. Through heterocycle fusion at the [2,3] position of s-indacene, the antiaromaticity of the structure is increased, thereby shortening the HOMO-LUMO gap further. Our group reports the naphthofuran-fused-s-indacene which shows computational promise to not only exceed the antiaromaticity of s-indacene itself, but also the previously synthesized Haley Lab indeno[1,2b]fluorene isomers. This result is examined computationally through nucleus-independent chemical shift XY calculations and experimentally via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Synthesis of stable antiaromatic molecules are desirable targets for providing insight on the structure, bonding, and reactivity of other highly conjugated structures.

Selective Advantage of avr-14, avr-15 and glc-1 knockout in C. elegans in High Ivermectin Conditions

Presenter: Ellie Laufer – Chemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Zach Stevenson, Patrick Phillips

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Lineage tracking experimentally enables highly precise measurements of fitness effects among different mutant backgrounds. The Phillips lab has pioneered the development of high-throughput lineage marking utilizing barcodes in animal systems. This has been implemented through “Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences” or T.A.D.R.I.S. The T.A.R.D.I.S. method utilizes a unique genetic feature in Caenorhabditis elegans, which is the formation of artificial chromosomes from experimentally injected dsDNA fragments. These fragments form into large megabase circular chromosomes which can be used as a ‘library’ in which to draw sequences from. The T.A.R.D.I.S. process allows us to experimentally input random nucleotides that are passed down through generations into precise, pre-defined, chromosome locations, allowing for the identification of lineages within a population. My research question focuses on measuring the individual contributions to fitness from three separate alleles associated with ivermectin resistance. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug that is toxic to C. elegans and nematode parasites. Ivermectin enters through the cuticle and inhibits neuronal transmission, resulting in death in wildtype worms. Resistance to ivermectin has been associated with several genes, however, I will be focusing on three specific genes: avr-14, avr-15 and glc-1.

Reforming the Self and Re-Forming the Other: Revisiting the Political Potential of Baldwin’s Fiction

Presenter: Kyra Lauersdorf – English, Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): Katherine Kelp-Stebbins, Matthew Norton

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Read, Speak and Act

The existing scholarship pertaining to James Baldwin tends to examine either his nonfiction essays or his fiction novels, but it rarely places the two alongside each other. This project aims to bridge the schism between the two bodies of work, using the political theory that Baldwin outlines in his nonfiction as a lens through which to analyze his literary fiction. Such an analysis reveals how, in many ways, Baldwin utilized his fiction as a space in which to engage and examine his own political theory. As such, the fiction that Baldwin produced during his lifetime contains as much if not more political ideation than his nonfiction –– and warrants just as much consideration from scholars for its political potential. This project seeks to contribute to existing scholarship on James Baldwin through its interdisciplinary analysis of the author’s works. Ultimately, it argues that Baldwin’s literary fiction possesses significant potential to effect political belief changes among its readers and ought to be valued accordingly.

Investigation of Training Methods Used for Mice to Perform Auditory Discrimination Tasks

Presenter: Sean Kyne – Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Santiago Jaramillo

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Stimuli and Response

The auditory system has a tremendous capacity to interpret all the surrounding sounds in the environment and help make sense of the world around us. To understand how our brains interpret and process complex sounds, we need a new method for studying auditory cognition. Researchers have created head-fixed rigs where mice run on a wheel while their head remains stationary and perform auditory discrimination tasks. This setting will allow us to study how the auditory system discriminates complex sounds using electrophysiological techniques that would be more challenging to apply in a freely-moving setting. Previous work in the lab suggests that it is more challenging to train mice in a head-fixed setting than in the more well-known freely moving setting. To improve our understanding of how to train head-fixed mice, they were trained to discriminate sounds of varying complexity. In each project, a new training protocol was implemented to increase our understanding of the best methods for training mice. The training protocols had varying success in teaching the task which provided helpful insights into teaching head-fixed mice auditory discrimination tasks.

Taking what was learned will allow us to teach mice more efficiently on future tasks using more complex sounds. Studying the methodology of how to train mice will allow for future experiments to use electrophysiological techniques to increase our understanding of the neural circuits used in auditory cognition.

The Progression of Juvenile Justice Policy in Oregon

Presenter: Semeredin Kundin − Planning, Public Policy and Management, Political Science

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans, Poster Presentation

The criminal justice system is incredibly vast and carries an intricate process within it. The overall system itself is meant to uphold public safety within our collective society by providing judgment on individuals, and determining consequences. Over time, it has been gradually acknowledged that the structures of our criminal justice systems aren’t meeting the needs or expectations of our evolving society. It’s being recognized that there are existing social and racial disparities within incarceration, a rise in recidivism rates, and the differing priorities of most State governments are why the concept of criminal justice reform came to fruition. However, there is no discussion of criminal justice reform without the consideration of the Juvenile Justice system. It’s been identified that youth interaction with the law, and the varying consequences they may receive can potentially alter the entire course of their life and growth. This research project reviews the impacts of public safety and criminal justice policy reform on the Juvenile Justice System in Oregon and compares it to national studies and priorities towards Juvenile Justice. By using both primary and secondary sources it was possible to identify the progression of policy reform in Oregon in comparison to the country as a whole. Due to the extensive research done, it’s simpler to comprehend that contemporary Juvenile Justice policy reform will be producing positive results for the criminal justice system.

Urotensin-II-related peptides, Urp1 and Urp2, control zebrafish spine morphology

Presenter: Colin Kuhns − Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Elizabeth Bearce

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Bio-Zebrafish and DNA

The spine is the defining feature of vertebrate life. The morphology of the vertebral column emerges in animals during embryogenesis and continues to develop into adulthood. Motile cilia, beat back and forth on the surface of cells to generate microscopic fluid flows. The generated fluid flow is essential both for the initial generation of a linear body and for the maintenance of a linear spine. Urotensin-II-related peptides (URP), Urp1 and Urp2, are 10-amino acid cyclized peptides and are expressed in flow-sensory neurons in the central canal. Previous findings have hypothesized a model in which Urp1 and Urp2 promote the axial straightening downstream of motile cilia function through inducing contraction of dorsal muscles. However, it has remained unknown whether Urp1 and/or Urp2 also function beyond embryogenesis in the maintenance of spine morphology during growth. Here we show that Urp1 and Urp2 are in fact dispensable for axial straightening during embryonic and early larval phases, contradicting the current model. Instead, we found that Urp1/Urp2 are essential for maintaining spinal linearity during later growth phases, with clear spinal dysmorphology in mutants during juvenile growth. Curves induced upon loss of Urp1/Urp2 model aspects of kyphosis and are distinct from curves exhibited by cilia motility mutants. Overall, this work links Urotensin peptide signaling to spine morphology and provides a new animal model for the common human spine dysmorphology of kyphosis.

DiversiPhi29—An Orthogonal System for the Continuous Directed Evolution of Genes In Vivo

Presenter: Amanda Kreppel − Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Nora Kearns, Calin Plesa

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Directed evolution is a method for protein engineering which allows scientists to impose novel functions on proteins through the random and progressive introduction of mutations to their encoding gene. Traditional directed evolution approaches are inefficient, alternating cycles of manual in vitro mutation and in vivo expression and selection until a desirable advancement in protein function occurs. This limits the throughput and depth at which a protein’s mutational landscape can be explored. By eliminating in vitro mutagenesis and allowing an orthogonal error-prone polymerase to replicate a gene of interest over several generations in E. coli, we are able to push the boundaries of evolution and create large libraries of desirable mutants in vivo. Here we propose DiversiPhi29, which repurposes the replication machinery of bacteriophage ɸ29 to continuously replicate a linear plasmid (pL) carrying a gene of interest in vivo independently of host replication. Once orthogonal replication of pL is established, we will implement a system capable of tuning the mutation rate of the linear construct’s replication by altering the ratio of two ɸ29 DNA Polymerases, one of which contains error-prone mutations. This approach will enable high throughput molecular evolution in the best understood host organism.

Investigating Variations in Unemployment Between North and South Spain and Associated Implications

Presenter: Emily Kraschel − Economics

Faculty Mentor(s): Glen Waddell, Dennis Galvan

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Unemployment in Southern Spain has long been significantly higher than in Northern Spain, negatively affecting Spain’s national unemployment rate. This has caused Spain to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU, making it a target for sanctions and corrective policies which further isolate it from the international community. The regional difference has previously been explored through purely quantitative methods and is widely attributed to a deficit in industrial output or a cultural aversion to work. The purpose of this research is to use a combination of quantitative decomposition through regression and various historical, policy, and geo-sensing sources to determine correctable factors which may contribute to unemployment and areas where further development may attract industry and workers. The regression model suggests that regional differences in industrial output and overall age have insignificant effects on unemployment, while education, working age, and population have significant effects. Sensing suggests the South may lack not only employment opportunities but the necessary infrastructure to support the desired growth. To improve employment rates in Southern Spain, education and youth employment must be better supported, and infrastructure and resources must be improved to allow for growth in all sectors of industry.

The Policy Implications of the Biology of Trauma

Presenter: Rose Kordahl − Political Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Daniel Tichenor

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Modern research has revealed one of the greatest public health crises in the United States: the epidemic of toxic stress in childhood. Physicians have found that significant exposure to toxic stress through Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increases the risk of seven out of the ten leading causes of death in the US. As a public health crisis, policy is uniquely equipped to prevent toxic stress and ACEs before they occur and create support services for those affected. However, a disconnect remains between scientific research and policy. Through a survey of existing literature on toxic stress and U.S. policy, I aim to identify the implications of medical research on creating trauma-informed policy responses to the toxic stress epidemic in the U.S. By identifying specific areas of policy that should be utilizing research on toxic stress, this project intends to demonstrate how science can help inform modern policy.

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